Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lord_Byron5 10-03-04, 04:14 PM	Ok I bought D & D Player's 3.0 handbook a year ago right before 3.5 came out, and I read that the game was supposed to be played in your imagination and didn't need a board to play. Well I was busy with other things and didn't read past chapter 3 of the Player's handbook 3.0. Well when 3.5 came out, I gradually bought the books and now completed by 3.5 core rule book with the player's handbook I bought last week, I bought Monster manual 3.5 and DM Guide 3.5 since I didn't have those yet in 3.0 edition. But when I got the Player's handbook 3.5 it says I need minis to play? I thought it could be played without a board and minis. I don't want to play the game like a board game where all my friends sit with a huge board in the middle of the table and minis on it. I thought that stuff was more left to the imagination to give the image of what's going on in the game. So do I really need minis to play this game like a board game? Or can I somehow bypass it and play it like a storytelling game without a board and minis? A friend in university says he doesn't play 3rd edition but Advance Dungeons and Dragons. Should I try Advance Dungeons and Dragons instead if it doesn't require a board and minis?
BlaineTog 10-03-04, 05:31 PM	But when I got the Player's handbook 3.5 it says I need minis to play?Actually, it just recommends them. No, you don't need minis to play. They help, but they arn't necessary. My group generally just uses spare dice and a ruler to help us approximate who's where and how quickly they can get from one place to another, but if your group doesn't want accuracy in battle, thats perfectly fine and you can play it without representations just fine.
ImmortalBlueMage 10-03-04, 08:21 PM	Needed? No. Strongly recommended? Yes. You need some kind of visual representation of combat, even if it's just drawing a diagram on a whiteboard or something. Rules like reach, flanking, attacks of opportunity, and size categories all depend greatly on being able to see what's going on. You can play without them, of course, but combat becomes much less exciting and loses a great deal of it's strategic elements.
Seeker95 10-03-04, 08:45 PM	The follow-up responses were quite long. To summarize: No. :D
typo 10-03-04, 11:48 PM	Minis aren't needed, and "official" minis DEFINITELY aren't needed. You could easily make do with, say, a handful of pocket change and some graph paper. If you're playing a game with minimal combat, even that might not be needed. AD&D "needed" minis only slightly less than 3.5 -- so playing an earlier edition is not a way to beat the costs.
Escef 10-04-04, 12:59 AM	Back in 2e (AD&D) my groups would use sketches on paper or Lego men to help keep combat less confusing. Without some way of knowing who's where there will be arguements and misunderstandings from time to time. My recent groups used a corkboard, huge sheets of graph paper with 1 inch squares, and counters made from thumb tacks and scraps of paper. I recommend using something to keep track of player and monster positions. Once you are more familiar with the rules you can modify them for a more free-form combat system.
Naeron 10-04-04, 05:14 AM	All the versions of D&D benefitted from mini's, some more than others it must be said, but they all needed a visual representation of the battlefield for ease of play. You don't need to buy the "official" mini's, counters or chess peices can work just as well.
Thanqol 10-04-04, 05:29 AM	M&M's make cheap, delicious tempoary minitures. (Credit where due)
Lord_Byron5 10-04-04, 07:52 AM	Yeah I got that D & D Adventure set with those tokens as well. So maybe I'll use those. You only need figures for combat only right? Or do I need some sort of a map of the dungeon and put the tokens and move them along during non-combat like a board game as well?
Escef 10-04-04, 08:01 AM	Yeah I got that D & D Adventure set with those tokens as well. So maybe I'll use those. You only need figures for combat only right? Or do I need some sort of a map of the dungeon and put the tokens and move them along during non-combat like a board game as well? Only for combat. You don't need them for anything else. Sort of like a movie, you don't see every step of the journey to the places where the real action takes place, just the interesting parts. However, it is a good idea to ask the group for a marching order, that way if anything happens that they don't expect you have a better idea of where they would be when you set up their counters/tokens/minis/whatever.
StormKnight 10-04-04, 12:36 PM	I'd say break out the minis only when you need or want them. If there's a big fight with lots to keep track of, grab 'em. If your party really seems to be having the hankering to get a little wargamey, grab 'em. If its a quick duel, or your group wants to get through the fight quickly to get on with other things, don't bother. Some general rules to follow for not playing with minis: AoO: If someone declares they are going straight after a foe or running away, there's no AoO. If some character's are "gaurding" others you have to take AoO to get past to those being guarded. If a maneuver involves circling around, getting past, or something like that, take AoO. Area of Effect: Don't sweat it. Don't make the wizard blow up half the party because your mental picture of where combatants are is different from hers. Let burst effects hit a few creatures safely, sometimes more at the risk of hitting party members. Come up with die rolls for it if you want. Flanking: If multiple characters "pile on" to one defender, you've got flanking. If someone takes an AoO or does something clever to move around behind, you've got flanking. Otherwise you don't. Good luck to you!